Sunday, December 16, 2007

"Meursault is "the only Christ we deserve"

Albert Camus prefaced his novel, "The Stranger," with the following note in 1955:

I summarized The Stranger a long time ago, with a remark I admit was highly paradoxical: "In our society any man who does not weep at his mother's funeral runs the risk of being sentenced to death."

... I also say that I tried to draw in my character the only Christ we deserve. It will be understood, after my explanations, that I said this with no blasphemous intent, and only with the slightly ironic affection an artist has the right to feel for the characters he has created.

1. Define the author's worldview -- his judgments about individual and the societal values -- and where he places blame -- based on this statement.

2. Do you agree with Camus' assessment of Meursault as "the only Christ we deserve"?

I believe what camu meant by the only Christ we deserve was that in this case Meursault takes the position of jesus but preaches the opposite. While jesus often preached about the after life MErsault states that there is no afterlife that we are privileged to live. I would not agree wuth camus world view mostly because i am biased in that i did not like Mersault as a character and person. I also do not agree with the authors world view i agree with his statement "In our society any man who does not weep at his mother's funeral runs the risk of being sentenced to death." but i clearly dislike Mersault and hate to see him as the best we have. But i must say as a society we do condemn those who are different from us. So i cant say i fully agree with Camu on his world view but certain aspects i do.-R.V.

Precious Blackwell--- I think what Camus means by "the only Christ we deserve" is that in The Stranger Mersault takes on the role of Christ. Ironically, Mersault doesn't do things that even relate to Christ. Mersault just believes that we're bound to dies and will just be dead, but Christ talks of resurrection and afterlife. I think what Camus means is that society expects everyone to be like Christ, to respond to situations like Christ would, but that's not Mersault. In many cases that's not the world. I somewhat agree with Camus' worldview. I don't think Mersault was necessarily taking on the role of Christ. I do agree we expect people to act a certain way. If we think things are wrong, we expect everyone else to feel that way. We seperate ourselves when others may feel differently. We often denounce those who differ from us.

I agree with precious when she says that society wants us to act a certain way to be accepted. Mersault is an outcast in this world of his where people seem robotic, unethical sometimes. Meursault takes on the roll of jesus, where he shows no feeling or affection, but cares deep inside for the ones he loves. He even wanted people at his death that hated him and despised him, similarities are with jesus as well for he had people at his death that hated and despised him, but he forgave them for there hatred, just like how Meursault wanted. But I never seen Meursault perform any miracles, nor have I heard of the actual jesus kill anyone from distress from the sun. Camus puts a good arguement with his statement, and all I can say that I partially can agree with his statement

"The Only Christ we Deserve."I can understand why Camus would state this at the end of the title. I interpret this statement as revealing his sensitivity towards Mersault, a misunderstood man judged by society and even by us, the readers. Just like Jesus Mersault was a reject within society and persecuted thereafter. Camus’ worldview is that we persecute individuals that don’t fit into our society. He believes that we are judgmental individuals that force our(society’s) values on others who go against the grain. He blames society for the downfall of certain individuals who don’t fit the mold. But like Christ Mersault himself was not judgmental to anyone, if anything he was accepting but at some points indifferent. He has some similarities to Christ, seeing as he befriended the “low lifes” of society, Christ befriended the plagued and the hookers Mersault befriended the womanizer and the guy that beat his dog. He wants people to reflect on their role in society and determine whether they are judgmental. I believe that some, not all people in society judge others wrongly. But I believe there is still hope in our world. But in Camus’ world there is no reversing it. Anisa Adame

Korlisha Roberts: I'll have to 3rd what Precious and Wojciech said Ms. Levine because comparing a fictional character to Jesus is a really big dare but Camus doesn't present any similarities when portraying Meursault. He suggest that society as we are and how we treat each other are not deserving of a selfless savior, we only deserve what we dish out and how we think a person is suppose to be and what they should do and how they should act. We ignore and isolate anybody who isnt like us. Jesus wasn't like that, he loved and cared for everybody regardless of how they treated him in return. He didn't consider himself no different from the next man because he knew that in God's eyes we are all one in the same anyways. Yet, Meursault doesn't care about anyone. Matter of fact he is unable to care for anyone because all that he actually does care about is living in the moment. It didnt matter what happened afterwards because as far as Meursault was concerned there is no "afterwards" in life. Jesus showed mercy for those who strayed and cared about other people's "afterwards" which is why he "died on the cross for our sins." Meursault didn't even have mercy for himself so how could he possibly be like Christ let alone "the only Christ we deserve." So I definitely disagree with Camus, I already didn't like him in the first place lol!

In Camus's perspective "The only christ we deserve,"in the 'Stanger" Meursault was characterized as a person who had a very negative view of having no fate in his life. That's why he didn't cry in his funeral because he was probably thinking what was the point she already dead.By that he is showing what his perspectives of the future being more important then the past.In our perspective his interpretation of life is ridiculous and you should care.I agree with anisa becaue Meursault is misunderstood how he sees his life and how he see's the world towards his situations and what he goes through.Camus is trying to show how people act in a certain way, when there is a reason of there doings.Everyone is not the same in how you think of what is right in a situation ,and what is wrong.

Davis Garcia: You have to be kidding me. "Meursault as the only Christ we deserve." Meaning that Meursault is taking the role of Jesus Christ. Both individuals are quite different in many ways. Jesus cared for us no matter how badly society treated him. He died for us so that we live on forever in haeven. On the other hand Meursault is the opposite of Jesus. He didn't care about anything, anybody. He care about nothing. Meursault had no emotional feelings towards others. He didn't care if he was loved by Marie. Meursault had more of a physical desire. Such as the trip to the beach. In which Meursault and Marie are together.Mearsault only cared about himself. One similarity is that both Meursault and Jesus Christ were different from the rest of society. I guess that's why this book is titled "The Strange". One more thing both of them believed in the Afterlife. In which you die and you are reborn.

the only christ we deserve -> By christ, I believe Camus means salvation/ enlightenment. The universe is neutral to us. It doesn't care about us or hate us, we are responsible to find our own salvation.

1. Individuals should be able to do what they feel like doing. Whatever blame we have, it shouldn't be society's fault. It's only our's. We shouldn't care about the society at all. 2. Yes. I agree. I believe Meursault that we can choose what creed we want to follow. Society's creed doesn't necessary mean our creed. It's our choice. Jesus found his own creed and thus his salvation. Meursault is kind of like Jesus. He found his own "creed' and salvation near the end of his life. This is freedom. This shows within us, we have our version of "christ"3. Yes

Analy GaminoIn the stranger Camus shows that we place blame on heavy burdens that are on us. For example the sun was weighing him down reminding him of his mothers death. I do not agree with the assessment that Meursault is "the only Christ we deserve." He may be influenced by Christ.People believe that Meursault had no feelings because he didn't cry at the funeral. When people die Christ doesn't want us to cry for them, he wants us to rejoice and be glad that they are now on their way to heave. That is if they were saved, if not then they should cry. In this case Mearsault wasn't a follower of Christ's word or had faith. He opposed the though of having faith and hope. He believed the complete opposite of what the Gospel states. He believed that the life you live at the moment should be used to the fullest and just live life.I somewhat agree with Camus' worldview. Society wants us to fit in to the norms and routines that they follow..then once theres someone that goes against it they feel threatened. Society wants us to conform. I feel that we should all be our own person and not be punished for acting a certain way. So what if Meursault didn't cry at his moms funeral or when she died? thats how he took it. This is what i believe i'm a little slow so you guys might not get it. lol

Magdiel PilladoOK, so if Camus says Meursault is "The Only Christ we deserve," he must mean that we don't deserve the most sacred figure in the Christian religion; the reedemer of all souls, the Christ, the Messiah. What he is trying to tell us is that we deserve a Christ who cares for nobody's soul, who is blunt, who is not loving, and won't die for anybody, probably not even for himself. A Christ who won't come to change humanity, and will be indifferent toward it and wouldn't want to die for it because it is meaningless. So I come to the conclusion that Camus is trying to tell us that we as humanity have no love for each other, and that Meursault is our Christ, our living example. So we don't deserve a reedemer as an example, we deserve an ambitionless idiot who sees lives as constant and unchangeable. I disagree with this because everyday, people, even though most of the time they fail, they try their very best to change their lives and prosper and look for better jobs for them and for their kids. Everyone, or mostly everyone is hopeful for the future, but Meursault isn't. They aren't hopeful for their just for their future, but also beleieve in an afterlife, being Christian, or not Christian, something that would probably be absurd to Meursault. I've never heard of a person who brings this worldview, like Meursault does. He is in my opinion an extremist, so I would not see him as an example to me or to anyone else. I could judge Camus with blasphemy with these words that he has just said but I won't because Jesus Christ gave me the example of not to judge anyone. I follow his example and I would never follow Meursault's examples of bluntness and indifference.

Laura MadrigalI agree with Oliver when he says that the phrase "Meursault is the only Christ we deserve" means salvation. Like a lot of previous students have stated Jesus and Meursault ARE indeed very different...but they have a few very important similarities as well. They both died being well known. Regardless of whether their death was lamented or brought happiness they both were at peace with themselves dying. Jesus to save humanity and Meursault because he was enlightened. Although Meursault acted like he didn’t care about anything there is so much to him that we don’t see. He wasn’t a bad person he just made wrong decisions...but did Jesus really made the right decision by sacrificing himself for us?!?!...I mean there are still a lot of non-believers and malicious people out there. So maybe Camus was trying to use Meursault as an example that although we make wrong decisions we aren't automatically condemn to hell...maybe we still have hope?!?! So i do agree that Meursalt is our only Christ...because nobody in human form is perfect...not even Christ...and Meursault definitely showed us that...and i do agree with Camus worldview...which according to me is that our society is going to make a million mistakes but that doesn’t necessarily make us horrible people.

in camus worldwiev we get te sense that we live life as it comes. and that all we lve for is for waht happens today and what might hapen tomorrow. that we don't allow our feelngs to get involved in what we do. we must allow our feelings to be part of our decisions in life because when we allow them to it helps us enjoy life and go through life better. the happiness and the sadness that we go through is what makes us in ife. and when camus says that meursault is the only christ we deserve, it goes against what i believe. i disagree because meursault has the wrong way to live life. we must enjoy it and live life to its fullest. and what camus means is to live life the way meursault lived his life, the same way that most people try to live life the same way that crist lived his life.

1. Why the heck would Camus compare Mersault and Jesus Christ? I mean Christ died for our sins, he loved us all deeply even knowing that we were all sinners. And Mersault is an emotionless guy who seems to barely care for himself. The only real similarity I see is that they were persecuted for doing something that was seen as wrong and that they never hid their feelings. Christ let it be known that he was a faithful follower to our God, and Mersault was always blunt and told his feelings straight even if he knew the other person was not going to like it.

2. On the other hand I feel Camus may have been trying to say that we do not deserve a savior as amazing as Jesus Crist. That what we deserve is someone who doesn't really care for us or what happens to us. Camus may have felt that we are not at all thankful for what Jesus has done for us and we only deserve a robot for a savior.

Kiara Jones---> When Camus says that Mersault is “The only Christ we deserve” I think he means that we as a people deserve to have Mersault as Christ instead of Christ himself. The main difference between Christ and Mersault is that Christ questioned his fate, Mersault didn’t. In the Bible when Christ was praying, right before the soldiers came and got him, he asked God “let this cup pass”, meaning Lord is this the only way to save their lives? He questioned God, but ultimately he said “not my will, but thine will be done”. Mersault on the other hand never questions anything. He just accepts everything and he wanted the crowd to “greet him with cries of hate”. They are similar because they both died for being different and because no one understood them and their actions. Christ died to redeem mankind from their deaths. He died so that we could live again. Mersault died to show us how not to live. In Camus’ world, society says that we shouldn’t be different. This is one of the main reasons why he was executed. I believe that Camus believes that we don’t deserve to have someone to die so that we could live, because we destroy people who are different.

In a sense I agree with Camus’ worldview because society shouldn’t try to make people be a certain way. On the other hand I don’t agree because we can’t always blame other’s for our actions. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and move on. That’s what Mersault at the end of his life

Camus suggests that we don’t deserve to have someone such as Christ be our savior. We, as imperfect beings, aren’t worthy of even being able to run our own lives.Not only that, but he also reveals how society is the one that makes us turn into the opposite direction of what Christ had to say. We are just puppets in this imperfect society, and as inanimate objects we deserve nothing more than for death to be our savior.I do agree with Camus when he suggests that Meursault is the only Christ we deserve, because we are nothing. Who are we to be saved, when all we do is criminal, immoral, defying actions that make our world become a depressing place?I somewhat agree with Camus’ worldview because as I mentioned before we don’t DESERVE anything. Although, someone cared enough for us to give us a second chance even when we don’t deserve it. Yes, all we deserve is a person like Meursault to be our savior. Instead we got someone like Christ to be our savior. I think that is magnificent and none of us should take it for granted. Who would really want our savior or our Christ to be someone like Meursault? I don’t think anyone would. Well at least I know I wouldn’t.

1. Define the author's worldview -- his judgments about individual and the societal values -- and where he places blame -- based on this statement.- Camus’s worldview is one of hopelessness. In his world, an individual who doesn’t show the typical and expected feeling and ideas that the world share is doomed to death. This worldview is hopeless because Camus is revealing that the world is not willing to accept iconoclastic ideas. This is a hopeless worldview because it means that the individual is doomed to conform or fear prosecuted.

2. Do you agree with Camus' assessment of Meursault as "the only Christ we deserve"?-In some ways I do agree. Though Meursault was not an ideal character from most of the readers’ point of view, he was undeniably strong of character. He lacked the basic values and morals that most humans shared, but the value and morals he did have he stuck to. He lived a life as he sought fit, he didn’t compromise himself or his ideas to save his life. In a way he sacrificed himself for what he believed in. He is the only Christ we deserve because he is a model of what the individual can become. The individual is so excessively shaped by society that they eventually lost the things that made them unique. Throughout the whole book Meursault never stop believing in his beliefs, though some were deemed unorthodox by society, he didn’t let their opinions shape his beliefs. This is comparable to Christ because Christ died to cleanse the sins of his people. Mersault died to cleanse himself of the world that looked upon him for being different. Though they died for different reasons, they both were trying to alleviate some form of pain brought upon them by the world.

3. Do you agree with Camus' worldview?-I completely agree with Camus’s worldview. The world is so consumed with conformity that when it’s faced with change and individuality it can handle it. The world is not a very hopeful place. Ideas are looked down upon because their different and this causes the individual to keep their beliefs inside because they fear the prosecution they will face by having their own view, values, and morals. Camus hit the nail right on the head.

To me the author’s worldview is one of hopelessness. I feel that by ironically comparing Mersault to Christ he is saying that our society is doomed. This is because if Mersault is the only Christ that humanity deserves then he is saying that humanity is going to go to hell anyway and does not need the salvations from Christ. Based on this statement I feel that he is placing the blame of Mersaults behavior on the indifferent world around us. Mersault believes that we make our own dicision, and there is no god. By Camus saying Mersault is the only Christ we deserve he is saying that the ability to make sound judgment is the only option that we as humanity need to survive. I don’t agree with Camus’ assessment of Mersault as the only Christ we deserve, because I believe that people need Christ to be saved from today’s world. This is because not everyone is evil like Camus is trying to portray them to be. Also I don’t agree that Mersault is the only Christ that we deserve because Mersault has a pessimistic view about today’s world. People in today’s society need hope to keep them going. By Mersault being the only hope means that humanity would ultimately have no hope, because they are just going to die. I also do not agree with Camus worldview of hopelessness and despair. I say this because people do make their own decisions that will govern their life. I feel that hopelessness comes from the act of giving up. Mersault gave up on life, but I feel humanity doesn’t give up on life. I feel that individuals when faced with hardships will rise to the challenge and become better than they were because they would have learned a lesson.

1) I believe in Camus' world, life is irrational and hopeless, and will ultimately lead to death. We can see that when Meursault denies God's existence. This shows that he rejects any reasoning or system that governs the society. I believe the society is to be blamed here for no being able to accept different believes. They considered Meursault's ideas are dangerous to their system hence led to his persecution.

2)I do agree with Camus' assessment that Meursault is the only Christ we deserved. When I picture Meursault at the gullitine, I relate it to the image of Jesus on the crucifix. They are both being persecuted for the believes. Jesus's claim that he is the son of God led to his persecution, while Meursault's believe that life is irrational and hopeless creates disorder in the society. Jesus died for our sins, and I believe that Meursault's death is ones of any revolutionary leaders. He certainly hope that his death will give future people the right to follow his believes. Finally both Meursault and Jesus are strong at where they stand. Jesus never conform to the way others want him to, and neither did Meursault. So I believe that Meursault should be a Christ we deserve.

3)I agree with Camus's worldview in some way. True, life do ultimately lead to death, but there is a purpose for living a life. I believe that what you do in life affects where you end up afterlife. But if people like Meursault who doesnt believe in God's existence will not go on to afterlife.

Ben Zhou My interpretation of this line would be that Meursault can relate to Christ. As far as how Christ died, and how the people treated him. Meursault was persucuted for not crying for his mother, something only others felt was a crime. I remember the book mentioned Meursault thinking that no one deserved to cry for his mother. In Jesus mind he was just trying to do something for the people of Earth, but why did his life end like that? Why did it end in the hands of the people? In the end Christ saved us all and forgave us ofcourse. Like Meusault, he did not blame the people for sentencing him to death, in fact he welcomed their hatred and forgave them for what they have done, even before his death. What Camu meant by "the only Christ we deserve" is that the only person we need to believe in is ourselves. We are our own Christ. If you can't believe in yourself, then you have no right to believe what others think of you. As long as you think you didn't anything wrong in the end, it doesn't matter how it ends.

Abraham RuizI would say Meursault is a fine Chirst for our civilization. We seem to enjoy cheap thrills and the pyschical aspect of life more than the spiritual and intellectual part of it. Meursault only worried about the pyshical aspect because thats all he believed in, like many people that are alive today. I agree that Meursault does embody many of the people alive todays beliefs, but we neeed more than.

Jimmy Chen said I believe the quote means that Meusault is a substitude of Jesus in this story. He is the "savior" of his friends in a way. In Camus world, we are living a life that that will always lead to death. This is the inevitable fate. I agree with his worldview and that's why it is important to live your life to the fullest. I think Meursault thought of the same thing in the end.

I think Camus meant that Meursault is the only Christ we deserve because as humans we don't deserve anyone better then that. Society is creul, harsh, and inconsiderate and because of that we do not deserve to have another person be called our Christ because he might just be too good for us. Mersault and Christ are two opposite characters. Foils even. One cared for us and society while the other didn't. One died for us while the other one could have cared less if he died. One commited sin and one took away our sins. Camus shows us in the "Stranger" that scoeity itself is creul. When a mother dies, her own son doesn't even know about it till a day later and he doesn't even know her own age. The same person who took care of you and rasied you, you forgot about. Society is cruel in forgetting about the ones they love and care about and the ones that cared about them. Also, he shows no sign of emotional when he killed someone. Society has made him that way, society has shaped him into a person who has no feeling and emotions. He locks out his feelings and he locks out his love and he, himself doesn't allow himself to get close to anyone. Society has made him that way. And that is why Camus thinks we don't deserve anyone better. In the dicitioanry, the word "deserve" means: to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to but because we don't qualify for such love and care because we don't care about others, this is why we don't deserve a better Christ. I do not agree with Camus' worldview because there are some other there who are different. Like for example, his girlfriend, despite how much he didn't love her, she didn't care. She loved him the same. In society, there are some that care and some that don't but you can not generalize everyone like that. I don't believe that he is the only Christ we deserve because we as humans deserve better. We need someone to look after and someone who can turn to. If the person who you are suppose to be looking up to is bad, then what's the point?

"The only Christ we deserve"??Camus uses this quote to express his worldview of death. He suggests that death is the only thing in life that is promised to us. By using the word "deserve", the author emphasizes the idea that death is the only part of life that we "qualify for" or "claim". I don't agree with this worldview because it's an extremist comment leading back to the belief that human nature is primarily evil. There are more things promised to us in life than death...

Camus reveals to us that he believes we deserve the truth when it comes to a character like Meursault. Christ is suppose to be our holy savior and pure. For me Christ is an abstract concept that many human beings can't obviously grasp like purity of heart, being altrustic, etc. We are presented with a different savior. Someone who will tell us what the truth is, the here and now, not something that's abstract. We can understand what it's like to want freedom and the warmth of another person next to you, or to feel the wind on your face. Dying for the sins of others is another thing. Maybe Meursault did in a way die for our sins. I think that Meursault might very well be the symbol of mankind in that he is flawed like any other human being.

There is this disconnection in the book. This passive character doesn't even try to get to know other people as we would've liked. This is a mirror image of us as humanbeings. We find it hard to connect to those around us, and in that, we lose a sense of ourselves. There is always this question of who we truly are, but the answer is around us, and we share similar traits with others. Through other people, we can learn about ourselves. Meursault died because society believed that he didn't care enough or show enough remorse. Are we all just as guilty as Meursault sometimes? I think we are, and Meursault had to die for us to realize that we need to live life truthfully and passionately. It is ironic that throughout the whole book, this character didn't seem to care about anything until his death, when all he cared about was for the crowd to greet him with hate. So maybe he is the only Christ we deserve because before we can start thinking about what's going to happen to us when we die, we need to be more active about what's going to happen to us in this lifetime.

Jamie Islas (Ms. Levine, i realize this is very last minute, but after reading everyone else's response, i just had to go against the crowd and state my opinion)

When i was reading the book, I felt that Meursault was characterized as a person who simply doesn't care one way or another what goes on, he doesn't accept it, doesn't criticize it, just says what he thinks (only when asked) and moves on. He's completely indifferent. Towards the end of the book, Meursault refuses to accept the priests' view on heaven and hell, and begins to say that death doesn't matter, we all die in the end, and it makes no difference if we die now or later, at 28 or 80.

Contrary to what everyone else has said, I feel Camus wasn't trying comparing Meursault and Christ, but that instead he was saying that Meursault really is the only Christ in the way he accepts his end, his death. After having been confirmed that he (Meursault) was sentanced to death, we would have expected him to have panicked and worried that he was going to die, (as most of us would do in that situation) but instead Meurault tries to wait patiently for the day and he tries to find ways to make the time pass. He in no way showed any regret, remorse, fear, or worry. I guess you could say he's indifferent towards his death, its going to come either way so why waste time worring about it? I agree with that point, all that stress is uncalled for.

In a world where there are certain things people, within the society, are willing to accept without question or where they just conform to expectations, they derseve someone that doesn't make such a big deal out of things, someone who is unwilling to blindly agree to society's views just as society is unwilling to accept his views. What goes around, comes around. Meursault (i can't believe i'm defending the guy, i hated him in the book) went about his life minding his own buisiness, not bothering anyone, speaking only when spoken to, always being brutally honest in his answers, had nothing to hide, wasn't afraid of saying what he thought, he was kind of a loner and was just there. I feel that the world and society on the other hand, were always bothering him. For example, he didn't feel comfortable being with his mother so he sends her to the home, a place where she would be out of his way and she would still be happy, no one got hurt. His mother dies and out of obligation he goes to the funeral, but he sees no point to going through that trouble since she already dead, attending or not attneding the funeral will in no way affect her, she's gone. But the people on the other hand, look down on Meursault becuase according ot their standards, he showed no signs of grief, and they took to him as a cold, uncaring person when he just had his reasons. During his trial he is critized for having gone swimming the day after the funeral, its not that he didn't have any respect for the death of his mother, it was just that it had already happened, why worry and make our lives miserable over something that we have no control over. In this aspect I sympathize with Meursault becasue everything he does is taken the wrong way, its not that he's cruel and insensitive, its just that he saw it a different way that breaks from what is expected, and there is no point in trying to make the world see it that way because society is unwiling to break beyond the boundaries of what is expected.

Back to why Meursault is "the only Christ we deserve," Camus is trying to say that in a conforming society, we expect someone to look up to, our salvation, but someone who is just like us in our views, (which makes sense, how are you going to support someone you don't agree with?) and anyone who is different is against us and must go. Just as our attitude is unaccepting and judgemental, we become closeminded and refue to see anything else. So why would we get someone who is understanding, and caring, and loving, and accepting, when we don't deserve it?

Erica Castro: In the preface of The Stranger I believe that Camus was trying to emphasize the idea that we don’t accept difference in our society. Meursault was different and therefore he was judged and later cast out of society. I believe that he is trying to make us think about how we treat each other in our society. The fact that Muersault is killed in the end reveals Camus’s hopelessness in our society. Even in modern day society we cannot look past people’s differences and we persecute those who stand up for what they believe in. Muersault didn’t change his feelings for life and death throughout the story so in some aspects he is a martyr. I don’t believe in his worldview I believe that some people can look past others differences and some people can’t. The way we judge others is all in how we were raised and the morals that we value.

Erica Castro: In the preface of The Stranger I believe that Camus was trying to emphasize the idea that we don’t accept difference in our society. Meursault was different and therefore he was judged and later cast out of society. I believe that he is trying to make us think about how we treat each other in our society. The fact that Muersault is killed in the end reveals Camus’s hopelessness in our society. Even in modern day society we cannot look past people’s differences and we persecute those who stand up for what they believe in. Muersault didn’t change his feelings for life and death throughout the story so in some aspects he is a martyr. I don’t believe in his worldview I believe that some people can look past others differences and some people can’t. The way we judge others is all in how we were raised and the morals that we value.